Termites!
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For thousands of years, these tiny animals have been the most hard-working and productive didigeridoo manufacturers in the world.
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A didgeridoo consists of a 1 m to 2.5 m long section of a eucalyptus tree trunk hollowed out be termites. Luckily, the light and temperature sensitive termites limit their activity to the hard and dry heartwood of the still living tree, and avoid the moisture-bearing sapwood, which also has a toxic effect on them.
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So after the termites have done their wok, man comes into play. In the following video, you can watch how a didgeridoo is crafted the traditional way:
DENRA DÜRR
YIDAKI
MAGO
DENRA DÜRR
DIDGERIDOO
DIDGE
RIDOO
The didgeridoo is possibly the oldest wind instrument in the world. It was developed by the Aboriginal peoples of Arnhem Land in northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago, in order to serve as an accompaniment to ceremonial dancing and singing.
Its name is not of Aboriginal Australian linguistic origin and is considered to be an onomatopoetic word created by Western people, which means a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes.
Among Aboriginal peoples of Australia, there are at least 45 different names being used for the didgeridoo, the most common being yidaki, mandapul, mako or mago, or also names such as bamboo or kampu, that may reflect earlier forms of the didgeridoo made from bamboo.
The didgeridoo is played with continuously vibrating lips to produce the drone while using circular breathing. Thanks to the technique of circular breathing, the sound elements can be seamlessly joined together without pausing for breath. With circular breathing, the air is pushed out of the oral cavity while inhaling through the nose. It is a very overtone rich instrument, and through variations created by the lips, cheeks, lower jaw, tongue, abdomen, throat, abdomen and voice, an astounding amount of different sounds and rhythms can be created.
I personally very much like the idea of the didgeridoo being a one-note-orchestra.
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Didgeridoos can generally be classified according to three main types of instruments, varying in shape, origin and sound characteristics:
Yidakis or Mandapul usually are very long and conical, with a narrow mouth piece and a relatively wide bell ending. This authentic, traditional Aboriginal type of instrument is made and used by the Yolngu peoples of North-East Arnhem Land. They are characterized by a high internal backpressure, an easy playable overblow, unique dark, dirty, raspy acoustics. Yidakis are played in a traditional style often described as hard-tongue technique.
Sound example:
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Usually clearly shorter than a yidaki, rather cylindrical or only slightly conical, with a wider mouth piece and sounding somewhat different. A slightly fuller and richer sound, but without the "overtone" note, which is more difficult to play on this kind of instrument and is not typical respectively absent in the traditional way of playing it. It is a traditional didgeridoo typical for the Western Arnhem Land region of Northern Australia. The two typical, slightly differing playing stiles are called Wongga and Gunborg.
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Sound example:
Didgeridoo is a widespread and common name for all non traditional didgeridoos. Most of the non traditional didgeridoos have a length in between a yidaki and a mago, are usually slightly conical but not as much as a yidaki, sometimes have a quite wide bell at the end, and have a slightly wider mouth piece than a yidaki. Or said in a different way, every non traditional instrument is a didgeridoo, although the name also serves as a generic term for all instruments, be it traditional or not.
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Sound example:
